


Thursday Night

by Eiprej



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Its Nathan what do u expect, Other, Recreational Drug Use, Slight ED Ment, Slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 16:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5097575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eiprej/pseuds/Eiprej
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Th' fuck we watching?" There's this little slur in his voice that Victoria catches, and she knows he's doped up on something. Victoria sighs at the thought, and it's worse because it's not unusual. When Nate gets into one of his moods he always manages to get his hands on something. She's not worried, namely because she's sure she knows how to handle him.</p><p>"None of your shitty slasher films. I didn't come here to puke."</p><p>Nathan's lip quirks up, into some shit eating smirk. It's a surprise he manages to hold it, because it turns into a grimace after a moment and he rubs at his eyes. "Better than your Miyozami shit, or whatever the fuck."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thursday Night

**Author's Note:**

> Vic and Nathan are very important to me and they deserved a better narrative than they got.  
> I also really wanted to kind of explore their relationship a little more, and give them a little sappy interaction?? Nathan's still pretty sad tho  
> I just really like exploring characters and their interactions oop
> 
> ALSO, AS ALWAYS, TITLES BEFUDDLE ME

It's Thursday night, which to Victoria Chase means that it's movie night, and so she'd kicked Courtney and Taylor out of her room earlier than usual in order to prepare. To prepare meant that all she had to do was grab a bowl and two bags of popcorn, and then make her way down to Nathan's dorm.

The door is unlocked, which is a good sign; Victoria didn't enjoy staying outside longer than usual, in the middle of the boys dorms. Her limit for Logan's dirty mouth had already been run high during the day, after spotting a few desperate texts from him. She'd had better things to do than sext some brute.

Better things like cozying up in Nathan Prescott's dorm, which she wastes no time in doing. She shoves the door open and shuts it behind her, and Nathan sits up lazily from where he's lounging on his bed, cigarette in his hand. They're _twitchy,_ is the first thing Victoria notices, and her eyes narrow as she takes in the boy.

"Can't even fucking knock?" Nathan grouches, rubbing at his face and sitting up. He's still in all of his clothing, right up to the brown penny loafers he wears every day. She's fairly positive he's kicked up a little dirt on his bed, but there's something about the greasiness of his hair and circles under his eyes that indicate there's something more going on.

It's been like that these past few months, but no matter how hard Victoria tries, he refuses to open up anymore than he already has.

"It's your fault you left the door open," Victoria responds with a roll of her eyes, throwing the popcorn packets on the bed. Nathan quirks a brow and then scoffs and snuffs out his cigarette against the wall, throwing it off the side of the bed.

"Th' fuck we watching?" There's this little slur in his voice that Victoria catches, and she knows he's doped up on something. Victoria sighs at the thought, and it's worse because it's not unusual. When Nate gets into one of his moods he always manages to get his hands on _something._ She's not worried, namely because she's sure she knows how to handle him.

"None of your shitty slasher films. I didn't come here to puke."

Nathan's lip quirks up, into some shit eating smirk. It's a surprise he manages to hold it, because it turns into a grimace after a moment and he rubs at his eyes. "Better than your Miyozami shit, or whatever the fuck."

  
"It's Miyazaki, asshole. You can't deny you cried over Spirited Away." Victoria huffs through her nose, and Nathan grinds his teeth and crosses his arms, his lips forming a pout that Victoria is used to seeing. "Did you smoke? Because your sorry ass might cry more over this one if you did."

"Shut the fuck up," Nathan responds as Victoria sits down on the bed next to him, pulling out a flashdrive from her purse. He doesn't answer, however, and Victoria's lips curl down. Whatever he's hyped up on right now doesn't seem to be a topic he wants to talk about, and he fists his trembling fingers in his blazer. "What garbage anime titty shit did you bring this time?"

"Unfortunately for you, none." Victoria gestures for Nathan to bring his laptop over, and it takes him a moment before he stands from the bed and swipes it off his desk. It ends up tucked between them. "I didn't come here to watch porn with you, Nate. I can do that on my own time."

"Dyke," He whispers under his breath, and chuckles, softening the initial blow of the word. Victoria might be offended if it was anyone _but_ him. He cracks open his laptop, and tries in vain to type, but he keeps missing the keys and cursing under his breath. Victoria watches for a few moments, and then purses her lips and slides her hands over his.

"Give it." She demands, and Nathan freezes and then sneers at the screen. His expression seems to relax when he realizes Victoria hasn't moved her hands, and she's sliding her thumb gently over his knuckles, trying to calm him. Nathan inhales softly, turns his gaze to Victoria, and then slides the laptop over to her so gently it's ridiculous.

( Whenever she does that, it makes him think of those nights when he lashes out, smashes anything he can find in his room. When Victoria stops him and grabs his hands and brings them up to her lips, presses her lips against each bruised knuckle until they stop shaking. )

"Fuck, fine, here." He begrudgingly slides it over to her, and with practiced ease Victoria taps out the password to his laptop, bringing the screen to the desktop. Nathan grunts softly, and all she does is shoot him a smirk, slipping the flashdrive into the laptop.

"Do you mind actually putting the popcorn in the microwave? I didn't come here to starve either." Victoria says while opening up the file, and Nathan scratches at his head and stands up again.

"I ain't your damn maid," He mutters something along those lines, and Victoria searches for the movie amongst all the other movies on her USB. It'd be faster to search it, but there's something therapuetic about clicking the down arrow and listening to Nathan open the microwave and tear off the plastic bag from the popcorn.

"What, did you want me to say please?" Victoria taunts softly, and then she stands, taking the blanket off his bed with her. There's something miles more homey about sitting on Nathan's couch instead, so she migrates there and wraps the blanket around her shoulders to combat the chill of Nathan's room. "I didn't think you cared for manners."

"Fuck no, just want to let you know I'm not a lapdog." There's something irritable in his tone that causes Victoria to suck in a breath, that she guesses has to do with his current state. She drags her eyes over to where he's standing near the microwave, arms crossed.

"You're not, Nate." Victoria says earnestly, and there's this soft lull in his breathing, this gentle pause. He looks vaguely uncomfortable, and he turns his head away and puts his hand on the door of the microwave, waiting for it to beep.

"Yeah, okay."

A few minutes later, they have a bowl of popcorn between them, Nathan's laptop balanced precariously on their knees. They could, for all intents and purposes, just connect the movie to his projector, but Nathan likes the cozy feeling of being cooped up on the leather couch, pressed against his best friend and squinting at the screen.

Victoria likes it too. It makes her feel normal, like there's nothing special except her and Nathan, and whatever anime flick she's decided to shove down his throat for the night. She doesn't have to be so serious here, there's no status she needs to uphold.

There's no status he needs to uphold either. When they're on the couch facing his bed, he can't see the notes from his father-- all he can see are the risque posters plastered above his bed.

"Seriously, Tori. What are we watching?" Nathan questions, taking a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth. Victoria smacks his hand gently when he goes to grab another handful without even finishing the one he's on, and pops one into her mouth.

"Howl's Moving Castle. If you can stop being an asshat for a second, maybe you'll be able to enjoy it." She clicks play and he snorts, looking up and then back down at the screen. "And yes, it's better than Cannibal Holocaust. You're never making me watch that again."

Nathan bristles with a wheezing kind of laughter which lasts a second.

It's a second where Victoria feels like she's done something right.

\--

About an hour and a half in -- riddled with copious questions from Nathan, and Victoria's high grade explanations of what the fuck is going on -- Victoria's cheek is pressed against Nathan's shoulder, body drooped against his side. He can feel her weight on him but he's squinting at the screen with a miraculous amount of concentration, and he's so invested in the movie that it takes Victoria curling closer against him for him to realize she's fallen asleep.

Nathan's gaze snaps to her, and he blinks a few times, eyes dry. "Tori?" He whispers, and there's no response from the sleeping girl on him. He sniffs once, rubs at his nose and flicks his gaze around the room. Reaching out to pause the movie, he then sets the laptop aside and tries to sit up a little.

"Who the hell told you you could fall asleep on me?" Nathan grumbles, and then he's gently rolling her head to the side, thanking god that Victoria's always been somewhat of a heavy sleeper.

( She swears she's not, and he believes it once when Taylor comes in the room and she jerks awake. He wonders if it's because she's comfortable with him. She shouldn't be. He's the last person she should be comfortable around. )

Once he's sure she won't wake, he stands up and grabs onto the edge of the couch to keep himself upright, squeezing his eyes shut. He's crashing, coming down hard from his high, and it's only now that he realizes he's just as exhausted as Victoria must be. He swipes at his face and shifts on his feet to make sure his footing is secure, and then he reaches for Victoria.

"Fuck, alright..." Nathan slips his hands underneath Victoria, lifting her from the couch and stepping back to keep himself from falling at the extra weight. Victoria isn't the heaviest, but she does work out, which is more than Nathan can say for himself.

( Nathan tries not to think about the worried gaze Victoria gives him when she sees his skin pulling against his ribs. )

Nathan stumbles over to his bed and puts her down before he can drop her, and if there's one thing he doesn't want it's  _that._ He'd never hear the end of it. He goes back to grab the discarded sheets they left on the couch, and gently pulls them over Victoria's sleeping form, tucking her in as nicely as he can.

He makes sure her head rests on his softest pillow, and then sighs and sits at the edge of his bed, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave away his headache. Once his mind clears a little, his eyes fall on Victoria again.

It's hard for Nathan to process why Victoria cares so fucking much. It doesn't exactly make sense; they both constantly bound off each other, throwing remarks and comments, and then everything gets so gentle he doesn't know how to handle it.

( He hardly knew how to handle it when Rachel did it. When Rachel pulled him in for soft kisses, when Rachel ran her fingers over his arms, making him twitch and jerk and have to breathe in and out several times. When Rachel coaxed him into lying down and relaxing with her, and he couldn't focus on anything but the laughter that peeled out form her throat when she tried to grab his hand. But Victoria is no Rachel. And he doesn't want her to be. )

"Fucking pathetic," Nathan hisses underneath his teeth when he imagines Rachel instead, swallowing and choking through the lump in his throat, and the ball of anxiety that rolls down and causes tremors to run through his bones. He stands up quickly, disgusted, and turns away from Victoria, quickly heading back to the couch and throwing himself onto it.

"Nathan," He hears Victoria whisper from the bed, voice thick with sleep, and he sinks down further and buries his hands deep in his hair, breathing in hard and slow. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

When he snaps his gaze back to the bed, Victoria hasn't moved at all. She hasn't even spoken. The disjointed occurrence makes him want to laugh and scream and all he does is look back at the floor, respond to a statement Victoria's made many times before, but that he's imagining right now.

"Not this time, Victoria. Not this time."

 


End file.
